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Max Griffin: Standing His Ground at #UFCSaoPaulo’s Weigh-Ins

With the early morning weigh-ins in the record book, Max ‘Pain’ Griffin (13-3), after fully rehydrating, showed he’s hungrier than ever at UFC Fight Night 119’s ceremonial trip to the scale, locking eyes for the last time with his opponent, Elizeu ‘Capoeira’ Zaleski dos Santos (17-5), before being locked in the Octagon twenty-four hours later.

Griffin, the outsider from Northern California, entered Sao Paulo, Brazil as the enemy, yet he feels right at home in the animosity. When Brazil’s-own Zaleski approached Griffin for their final face-off, a slight tug-of-war for territory reminded onlookers of much more than hometown pride on the line: a jockeying for position within the UFC’s welterweight division is at stake.

Following Griffin’s first-round bludgeoning of Mexico’s Erick Montano at UFC Fight Night 98 in Mexico City and Zaleski’s hat-trick hot-streak, fights fans will struggle to remain seated when American Kickboxing meets Brazilian Capoeira to launch the prelim portion of the UFC Fight Night 119 on FOX Sports 2.